New exhibitions at Sci-Bono this Christmas
The trip will cost only R1 and you also stand a chance to win one of a few hundred family tickets
THE Sci-Bono Discovery Centre will launch three brand new exhibitions during the festive season.
“We constantly update and expand our collection of exhibits so there is always something new to learn and explore at the centre in addition to the different programmes on offer,” says Stuart Hopwood, the exhibitions manager.
A new planetarium will take pride of place among the more than 350 other exhibits at the centre and is sure to enthrall and delight young and old alike.
Donated by the Chinese Embassy in SA and through the efforts of the Department of Basic Education and the China Educational Instrument and Equipment Corporation, the planetarium will give would-be astronauts an opportunity to take one small step closer to their dreams.
Skatesitan will provide the centre with a new platform to teach children about science while having fun, X Games style.
Skateistan began as a grassroots sport for development project on the streets of Kabul in 2007, and is now an award-winning, international non-profit organisation with sites in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa.
Using the hook of skateboarding, Skateistan focuses on engaging the world’s hardest-to-reach youth aged between 5-17 years, making it possible for them to attend their flagship programs: Skate and Create, Back to School and Youth Leadership. Skateistan currently provides full-time programming year-round for more than 1 200 young people worldwide. Youth come to skateboard and stay for education.
Opening on December 22, visitors will have a chance to design one of 6 skateboards that will form part of the permanent exhibition. The winners will receive a yearlong membership to the centre for themselves and four friends.
Parents of young Einsteins can look forward to the opening of the Early Childhood Development exhibition for children between the ages of 2 to 6. The exhibition, sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology, will aim to stimulate early investigation of science, mathematics and technology through a series of interactive experiences. Like all other exhibits in the centre this one will be hands-on allowing children to touch, play and explore using different senses. Children will have an opportunity to see the world from a different perspective and use high tech microscopes to look at the tiny world around them in the micro-world section.
In addition to all the exhibits, Sci-Bono will also present another and arguably the best holiday programme in Jozi over the festive season, busting some myths about science and setting the record straight. This fun and exploratory holiday programme will finally give scientifically accurate answers you always had about science. Jam-packed with different activities, science shows and experiments including amazing water tricks, instant ice-cream and squishy circuits.
Getting to Sci-Bono couldn’t be easier this December.
In partnership with Gautrain, visitors can now catch a bus from Park Station directly to Sci-Bono daily. The trip will cost only R1 and you also stand a chance to win one of a few hundred family tickets (two adults and two kids under 16) every day if you take one of the buses directly to Sci-Bono. In addition, the Red Bus and Rea Vaya buses also stop directly in front of Sci-Bono so you can jump off at the centre as part of a Jozi tour.
“The buses, especially the Gautrain bus provide our visitors with an easy and cheap way to get to the centre in air-conditioned luxury, there are no reason to worry about traffic or safety anymore,” says Thami Mangena, science centre manager.
Sci-Bono is also spreading some festive cheer by inviting all registered NPOs to bring the children they work with to the centre for free.
For more information please call Sci-Bono on 011 639 8400 or visit www.sci-bono.co.za
